TW201303943A - Keyboard and portable electronic device using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A keyboard which can be used in a portable electronic device is provided. The portable electronic device includes a processor. The keyboard includes a circuit board and at least one button. The keyboard further includes a first electromagnet and a second electromagnet. The first electromagnet is coupled with the button, and the second electromagnet is coupled with the circuit board and faces the first electromagnet. When controlled by the processor to be energized, the first electromagnet and the second electromagnet each generate an induced magnet field with opposite directions, thereby generating a repelling force between them. The button then moves upward under the repelling force, causing the distance between the button and the circuit board to become greater. A portable electronic device using the above-mentioned keyboard is also provided.

Description

Keyboard and portable electronic device having the same

The invention relates to a portable electronic device and a keyboard, in particular to a portable electronic device with adjustable button height and a keyboard.

The keyboard is a common input device that is widely used in portable electronic devices such as personal digital assistants, mobile phones, and notebook computers. The structure of the conventional keyboard 1 is as shown in FIG. 1, which includes a circuit board 11 and a button 12. When the button 12 is pressed, it contacts the corresponding switch 13 on the circuit board 11, so that the switch 13 is triggered to send a signal to the processor of the portable electronic device, causing the processor to perform a predetermined operation accordingly. However, as the portable electronic device is gradually thinned, the distance between the button 12 and the internal circuit 11 board is small, so that the key stroke of the button is short, and the user's finger touches the button with a poor touch.

In view of this, it is necessary to provide a keyboard whose button height is adjustable to improve the touch when the user presses the button.

The present invention provides a keyboard for a portable electronic device. The keyboard includes a circuit board and at least one button. The portable electronic device includes a processing unit, and the keyboard further includes a first electromagnet and a first a second electromagnet fixedly connected to the button, the second electromagnet being fixedly connected to the circuit board and disposed opposite to the first electromagnet, wherein the first electromagnet and the second electromagnet are controlled by the processing unit After the power is turned on, an induced magnetic field is generated in the opposite direction, so that a repulsive force is generated between the first electromagnet and the second electromagnet, and the at least one button is pushed upward by the repulsive force, so that the at least one button is connected to the circuit board. The distance becomes larger.

The present invention further provides a portable electronic device, comprising a keyboard and a processing unit, the keyboard comprising a circuit board and at least one button, the keyboard further comprising a first electromagnet and a second electromagnet, the first The electromagnet is fixedly connected to the button, and the second electromagnet is fixedly connected to the circuit board and disposed opposite to the first electromagnet. When the first electromagnet and the second electromagnet are controlled by the processing unit, the opposite direction is generated. The induced magnetic field causes a repulsive force between the first electromagnet and the second electromagnet, and the at least one button is pushed upward by the repulsive force, so that the distance between the at least one button and the circuit board becomes larger.

The keyboard of the present invention uses the magnetic force between the first electromagnet and the second electromagnet to increase the height of the button, which is beneficial to improve the user's button touch.

2 and 3 are schematic views of the keyboard 2 of the present invention. The keyboard 2 can be applied to any portable electronic device, such as a personal digital assistant, a mobile phone, a notebook computer, etc., and includes a keyboard housing 20, a circuit board 21, and at least one button 22. To simplify the illustration, only one button is schematically depicted in the figure. The button 22 projects from the keyboard housing 20 and is movable relative to the keyboard housing 20. In the present embodiment, a part of the button 22 is housed in the through hole 200 in the keyboard housing 20. The end of the button 22 includes a convex flange 220 that is sized larger than the size of the through hole 200 to prevent the button 22 from being detached from the keyboard housing 20. It can be understood that the button 22 can also be connected to the keyboard housing 20 in other manners as needed, such as the manner in which buttons in a conventional mobile phone are connected to the housing.

The circuit board 21 is disposed within the keyboard housing 20. When the button 22 is pressed, a corresponding switch 23 on the circuit board 21 is triggered, and the switch 23 is triggered to send a signal to the processor of the portable electronic device, which performs a predetermined operation accordingly. An elastic member 24 is further disposed between the switch 23 and the button 22. When the user stops pressing, the elastic force of the elastic member 24 pushes the button 22 to its initial position.

The keyboard 2 also includes a first electromagnet 25 and a second electromagnet 26. In the present embodiment, the first electromagnet 25 is fixedly coupled to the inside of the button 22, and the second electromagnet 26 is fixedly coupled to the circuit board 21 and disposed opposite to the first electromagnet 25. The first electromagnet 25 and the second electromagnet 26 are both cylindrical electromagnets, and the second electromagnet 26 is disposed near the switch 23. In another embodiment, the first electromagnet 25 and the second electromagnet 26 are ring electromagnets. At this time, the first electromagnet 25 is fixedly connected to the inside of the button 22, and the second electromagnet 26 is sleeved to the switch 23. In other embodiments, the first electromagnet 25 is fixedly coupled to the lower end of the button 22. It can be understood that the shape of the first electromagnet 25 and the second electromagnet 26 of the present invention, the positional relationship between the first electromagnet 25 and the button 22, and the positional relationship between the second electromagnet 26 and the switch 23 can be performed according to actual needs. The changes are not limited to the examples shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

When the first electromagnet 25 and the second electromagnet 26 are not energized, the button 22 is in the initial position shown in FIG. 2, which is at a height L1 with respect to the circuit board 21. When the first electromagnet 25 and the second electromagnet 26 are energized, an induced magnetic field of opposite directions is generated. For example, the first electromagnet 25 and the second electromagnet 26 input currents of opposite directions such that the N pole of the first electromagnet 25 opposes the N pole of the second electromagnet 26. As such, the first electromagnet 25 and the second electromagnet 26 will repel each other, and the repulsive force between them pushes the button 22 upward, resulting in the button 22 being increased in height relative to the circuit board 21 by L2. When the first electromagnet 25 and the second electromagnet 26 stop energizing at this time, the induced magnetic field disappears, and at this time, the button 22 returns to the initial position by its own gravity.

FIG. 4 illustrates a hardware architecture of the processing unit 3 of the portable electronic device, including a detection module 31, a control module 32, and a power-on module 33. The detecting module 31 is configured to detect whether a specific program in the portable electronic device is activated. For example, if the game program is detected to be activated, the detection module 31 will send a signal to the control module 32. After receiving the signal, the control module 32 sends a signal to the power-on module 33. The energization module 33 receives the above signals and energizes the first electromagnet 25 and the second electromagnet 26. Certainly, various changes and improvements can be made by those skilled in the art. For example, the portable electronic device is further provided with a switch on the outer casing, and when the switch is triggered, a signal is sent to the power-on module 33, and the power is turned on. The module 33 energizes the first electromagnet 25 and the second electromagnet 26 after receiving the signal of the switch. With the above arrangement, energizing the first electromagnet 25 and the second electromagnet 26 can respond to the activation of a specific program, and allows the user to manually trigger the switch.

1. . . Traditional keyboard

2. . . Keyboard of the invention

3. . . Processing unit

11. . . Circuit board

12. . . button

13. . . switch

20. . . Keyboard shell

twenty one. . . Circuit board

twenty two. . . button

twenty three. . . switch

twenty four. . . Elastic part

25. . . First electromagnet

26. . . Second electromagnet

31. . . Detection module

32. . . Control module

33. . . Power module

200. . . Through hole

220. . . Flange

Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a conventional keyboard.

2 is a schematic view of the keyboard of the present invention when the first electromagnet and the second electromagnet are not energized.

Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of the keyboard of the present invention when the first electromagnet and the second electromagnet are energized.

4 is a hardware architecture diagram of a processing unit of a portable electronic device.

2. . . Keyboard of the invention

20. . . Keyboard shell

twenty one. . . Circuit board

twenty two. . . button

twenty three. . . switch

twenty four. . . Elastic part

25. . . First electromagnet

26. . . Second electromagnet

200. . . Through hole

220. . . Flange

Claims (8)

A keyboard for a portable electronic device, the keyboard comprising a circuit board and at least one button, the portable electronic device comprising a processing unit, wherein the keyboard further comprises a first electromagnet and a first a second electromagnet fixedly connected to the button, the second electromagnet being fixedly connected to the circuit board and disposed opposite to the first electromagnet, wherein the first electromagnet and the second electromagnet are controlled by the processing unit After the power is turned on, an induced magnetic field is generated in the opposite direction, so that a repulsive force is generated between the first electromagnet and the second electromagnet, and the at least one button is pushed upward by the repulsive force, so that the at least one button is connected to the circuit board. The distance becomes larger. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein the first electromagnet is fixedly connected to the inside of the button. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein the first electromagnet is fixedly connected to the bottom of the button. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein the first electromagnet and the second electromagnet are cylindrical electromagnets. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein the first electromagnet and the second electromagnet are ring electromagnets. A portable electronic device includes a keyboard and a processing unit, the keyboard comprising a circuit board and at least one button, wherein the keyboard further comprises a first electromagnet and a second electromagnet, the first The electromagnet is fixedly connected to the button, and the second electromagnet is fixedly connected to the circuit board and disposed opposite to the first electromagnet. When the first electromagnet and the second electromagnet are controlled by the processing unit, the opposite direction is generated. The induced magnetic field causes a repulsive force between the first electromagnet and the second electromagnet, and the at least one button is pushed upward by the repulsive force, so that the distance between the at least one button and the circuit board becomes larger. The portable electronic device of claim 6, wherein the processing unit comprises:
a detection module for detecting whether a specific program is started;
a control module that generates a signal when the detection module detects that a particular program is started;
A power-on module is configured to energize the first electromagnet and the second electromagnet according to a signal generated by the control module. The portable electronic device of claim 6, wherein the portable electronic device further includes a switch, the switch is triggered to send a signal to the processing unit, and the processing unit includes a power-on module, The power-on module energizes the first electromagnet and the second electromagnet according to the signal of the switch.